Monday, 7 August 2017

Banksy Does New York

I love watching something interesting when I do the ironing. Often it's the French News, other times I watch something I've taped from the tv. Generally documentary or something light, I prefer to enjoy fiction when I have the opportunity to sit on the couch and fully enjoy it. Last night I watched Banksy Does New York. I quite like Banksy. I like his artistic style, his incorporation of the site he uses and signs or objects already present, I generally like his political messages, and I like his humour. He has a great twitter feed. I am astonished that he has maintained his anonymity in the modern world. That must be incredibly difficult to do.I've watched other documentaries on Banksy before, but recently came across Banksy Does New York on ABC 2. In October 2013 Banksy did a month long residency in New York, and created a new art work every day. He would put clues up on his twitter account each day and New York would go out looking for it. Of course word would spread like wildfire on social media and crowds of people would go Banksy hunting. One of the commentators called it the first hipster scavenger hunt which is possibly rather true. The response of the established art world and art journalism was especially interesting (yes they completely ignored the art taking the city by storm for a month).Apparently you can be a Banksy hunter. I was hoping to see one when I went to London in 2013 but it wasn't to be. And if the folks in London act at all like the people in New York then I see why. Often these works were painted over within hours, or defaced by jealous and stupid "graffiti artists", or removed so that they could be sold. A Banksy art work is often a fleeting experience.Banksy Does New York was fascinating, it made the ironing fly by. It's about art, politics, history, animal rights, philanthropy, greed, urban decay and renewal, even Nazis. Life really. In Australia it's available on ABC iView until Aug 20.